Reviews with content warning for Suicide - Kaikki on kemiaa

Honestly I didn’t want to read this book because I thought it was a romance novel. So glad someone recommended it and I gave it a try. This was such an enjoyable, hopeful book. As a woman, I was definitely cheering for Elizabeth from page 1. My only criticism is that I wish there was more in this story to address her privilege as a white woman, but it also makes sense inside the historical context of the story. Regardless, loved this book so much. I was so happy to have a main character to cheer for.

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caebrown's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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easlan's review against another edition

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Started out with DV/assault/suicide. I couldn't follow along with the story and there was a lot of technical jargon I wasn't interested in. I'll try again another time.

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good_names_dont_exist's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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abbycadabby's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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ilzabet's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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bites_of_books's review against another edition

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dark informative mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was a gift from one of my best friends and I breezed through it!

Narratively there were a couple of things that seemed a bit forced, things that took me out of the story because they were presented in a way that just didn't fully work for me. That being said, I think the characters were really unique and interesting with really complex motivations. I liked the outspoken main character who sticks to her values and doesn't let romance or anything else get in the way of the things that matter most to her.

All in all this is a story of a chemist who happens to be a woman in the 1950s and all the obstacles that she must overcome to reach her goals. On the way she finds love, family, and friends, which was quite satisfying to read about. However, it's not an easy read there are difficult topics that are pretty hard to read so do check content warnings before reading!

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miranda_is_reading's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I really enjoyed this book. While traveling I brought it with me and so many people commented on it that had also read it. There was one lady who told me she hadn’t cared for it compared to all the raves I was hearing. So as I continued reading I kept waiting for the ball to drop. But, the story kept me pulled in wanting to know what was going to happen next.

My only flaw with the book, being a designer, is that the cover design (US) doesn’t fit the book at all. I know they say don’t judge a book by its cover, but knowing how design still sends a message and subconsciously influences people I was shocked to start reading this and realize it isn’t primarily a romcom type book at all. And romcom is the vibes the design totally gives in my opinion.

Beyond that this story was captivating to me. I loved the main character, Elizabeth, and all she stands for. I love how people around her could see her as stubborn, when she was just living authentically and in truth. I also enjoyed the ties to religious discussion in the book.

I can’t wait to watch the Apple TV show of the book and hope they stayed as true as possible to it.

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